Topline:
UCLA has received $3 million in federal funds to study the sexual and reproductive health needs of Asian immigrant women.
What's the goal? To collect data for separate ethnic groups and for immigrants of different statuses — including undocumented, naturalized citizens and green card holders.
Why it matters: Prof. May Sudhinaraset says Asians are the fastest growing group in the country — but existing data lumps them into one category or excludes them.
"This failure to include a sufficiently diverse sample has oftentimes perpetuated the model minority myth, which further invisibilizes the multiple sexual reproductive health needs that Asian immigrants experience within Asian immigrant subgroups, but also between Asian immigrant subgroups."
What's next: The five-year study will look at Asian women of different ethnicities and immigration statuses in four states to determine what type of health services they're getting and the quality of care they're receiving.
More coverage of why we need more transparency into Asian health: Southeast Asians Here Fear They're Suffering An Outsized Toll in COVID-19
